Section I: Organization Information
     
Name/Title of Contact:  Jenny Bogoni, Vice President, Out-of-School Youth Initiatives

Address:  714 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
     
Phone Number: 267-502-3737

Email Address:  Jbogoni@pyninc.org
     
Web Address:  www.pyninc.org; www.projectuturn.net

Total Number of Staff Members: 55
     
Total Agency Budget: 25,000,000

Agency Mission:  PYN's vision is that Philadelphia's young people will take their rightful
places as full and contributing members of a world-class workforce for the region. As a
catalyst for collective action, the Philadelphia Youth Network makes connections among
individuals, organizations and systems. We increase capacity and resources in order to
provide world-class preparation so our City's youth can thrive in a regional and global
economy.

Fellow’s Job Title: Project U-turn Re-Connection Coordinator


Section II: The Nitty Gritty

1. Will fellow be working at the same address listed above? If not, please list the address
for the fellow’s worksite.
Yes

2.  Will the fellow have:   

A. ___Own Office?              ____Shared Office?            ____No Office?  

B. _X__Own Desk?               ____Shared Desk?              ____No Desk?

C. __x_Own Computer?       ____Shared Computer?      ____No Computer?

3. Please state name and title of fellow’s immediate supervisor.

Jenny Bogoni, Vice President of Out-of-School Youth Initiatives

4. Please approximate the percentage of time fellow will work:

___65_Independently      _30___As a team member in a group setting   

__5__As a team leader in a group setting


5. Will fellow be expected to travel as part of his/her position? yes

If so, will travel be: __X__Within Philadelphia?  ____Outside Philadelphia?

How often will they need to travel?  1-2 times each week.

Will fellow need: ____a car?   ___x_a transpass?  ____occasional tokens?

Will the agency provide or reimburse for these expenses?   

The Re-Connection Coordinator will be responsible for their transportation to and from
work. However, the Philadelphia Youth Network will provide tokens for additional travel
during the work day.


Section III:  Community Need
Please submit a one paragraph response for each question.

1. Please state in measurable and quantifiable terms the specific community need that the Philly Fellow will address, including the number of people in the community directly
affected by the problem. In 2007, more than 1500 out-of-school youth (dropouts) contacted the Philadelphia Youth Network and School District of Philadelphia to learn about educational program options available to them, and to receive assistance with the enrollment process.  The Re- Connection Coordinator will be responsible for knowing about alternative education options and supportive services for youth who are returning to school; developing partnerships with those agencies that provide services; creating referral agreements; developing and effective referral system; and assisting in the management of a city-wide referral process.
     
2. Describe how your agency addresses this need, and how the new capacity created by
this fellow will help alleviate the problem.

The Philadelphia Youth Network’s Project U-Turn Collaborative is working on a number of
initiatives to reduce the number of dropouts in Philadelphia including designing strategies
to reconnect out-of-school youth to education and supports by establishing a hotline,
developing an intake system; and, with the School District, is planning a permanent Re-
Engagement Center. An ongoing challenge of these initiatives is connecting these youth to appropriate programs in a timely manner. The Philly Fellow will help to develop
partnerships and design a coordinated referral process with youth-serving organizations.  
This will have a significant impact on increasing the city’s capacity to re-engage
disconnected youth by ensuring they are enrolled in an educational setting that suits their
needs.

3. Describe the level of community involvement in the fellow’s project.

The Re-Connection Coordinator will spend the majority of his/her time networking with
community-based agencies.  A major function of their job responsibility is to develop
partnerships with community-based agencies, sustain those relationships, and ensure
they are adhering to the referral agreements.

Section IV:  Job Description

1. Please outline in list form the fellow’s duties and responsibilities.
•        Develop partnerships with youth-serving organizations
•        Create referral agreements with youth-serving agencies to engage out-of-school who
are interested in enrolling in a program that offers skill building opportunities and/or
academic support services
•        Create and manage a coordinated referral process between the Re-engagement
center and youth-serving organizations
•        Monitor  various programmatic enrollment cycles  and slot availability at partnering
youth serving  organizations
•        Develop a tracking mechanism within the database to log the number youth who are
re-connected and their placement sites
•         Re-design and update the Project U-Turn Compendium- a resource guide that lists
education programs for out-of-school youth within Philadelphia

2. Please outline in list form the skills/qualifications a fellow should have to succeed in this
position.
•        Proficient in MS office
•        Familiarity with database management
•        Presentation skills
•        Attention to detail
•        Ability to communicate with community stakeholders, youth, and parents


3. Please outline your agency’s plan to orient and train the fellow.

During the fellows first week, they will meet with their direct supervisor and receive an
overview of their roles and responsibilities; they will be introduced to all staff in the
organization; and undergo a series of trainings including:
•        Overview of organization history, vision, & mission
•        Introduction to various departments within the organization and their role in helping to achieve the mission
•        Policy & Procedure Protocols
•        Technological & Information management training
•        Introduction to partnering agencies
•        Training and orientation on the dropout issue


Section V:  Supervision/Resources

Please briefly describe plans for supervision of fellow.

The fellow will receive a work plan outlining project goals and highlighting monthly
milestones to help them work toward accomplishment.  The Fellow will meet with their
supervisor on a weekly basis to report progress on project initiatives, receive feedback,
and support in managing unexpected challenges.  

2. What methods, information, or data will you use to evaluate the fellow’s success in their
position?  

The Fellow will be evaluated on their progress toward set goals, as well as their ability to
meet organizational standards such as team work, leadership, and accountability.
The Fellow will receive a mid-year review to guide their development during the 2nd half of their term.


Section VI: Project Plan

Please outline goals and results you expect the fellow to achieve and the measures you
will use to evaluate performance. These goals must address the community need stated
above.

1. Please describe the proposed project goal you expect the fellow to achieve.

At the end of the term of service, the Philly Fellow will have established a network of youth
serving agencies that are working in partnership to provide skill building opportunities and academic enhancement services to former dropouts and other disconnected youth.

2. Please list significant milestones for this project and dates by which they will be
accomplished:
•        Develop targeted outreach strategy to engage appropriate youth serving agencies
(8/08)
•        Develop partnership memorandum of understanding- (9/08)
•        Co-design referral process and referral agreement documentation (10/08)
•        Co-design new tracking mechanism in database (12/08)
•        Initiate partnership with youth serving agencies ( ongoing)
•        Updated Compendium –Resource Guide for out-of-school youth (ongoing)
•        Create new tools for the Project U-turn website (11/08)